Likely shut out of a bowl game, CMU files waiver to practice anyway

MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Central Michigan University football team did everything it needed to do to become bowl eligible.

It won six games and was squarely in the bowl picture with three games Saturday still pending that were supposed to play a key role in deciding the fate of the Chippewas.

That is, until the NCAA granted a bowl waiver to Georgia Tech Thursday which will allow the Yellow Jackets to make a bowl game despite the potential they will finish 6-7 with a loss Saturday to heavily-favored Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game.

In response, CMU Director of Athletics Dave Heeke filed a waiver claim to the NCAA Friday to allow the Chippewas' football team to practice the full 15 days which is granted to teams that make a bowl game.

"Our position is that we are a bowl-eligible team as defined in the NCAA manual," said Heeke. "Because of the waiver granted to Georgia Tech by the NCAA, it has caused some harm to us and we believe we should receive the benefits that other bowl-eligible teams do. It's clearly stated in the NCAA rules that a 6-7 team should not be granted a waiver until all other bowl teams have a spot. Because of that and other consequences that have occurred, we feel we should be granted a waiver to allow our team to participate in practice."

As much as any other reason, Heeke believes the extra 15 days of practice would greatly benefit CMU as it has a roster full of younger players who could use the additional practice time.

"That is one of the greatest benefits of the bowl season, those 15 extra days of practice," Heeke said. "Yes, the bowl experience and the chance to play an additional game are important but those extra practice dates are critical as you develop a football program."

Central Michigan is not the only Mid-American Conference team impacted by the Georgia Tech bowl waiver. Both Ball State (9-3) and Ohio (8-4) are not guaranteed bowl spots currently with both Pittsburgh and Connecticut potentially pushing one of those teams out with a win Saturday.

This is the second straight season the MAC is feeling the harsh reality of the bowl waiver situation. Last year, UCLA was granted a waiver as a 6-7 team while two 6-6 MAC schools in Ball State and Eastern Michigan were the only eligible teams left out of the bowl picture. UCLA participated in the Kraft Hunger Bowl and was defeated 20-14 by an Illinois team that had lost its previous six games.

"We filed the waiver today and those things are generally handled fairly swiftly," Heeke said. "We've been in contact with our conference Commissioner (Dr. Jon Steinbrecher) and the MAC office, so they are aware of our position. The real situation here is that multiple MAC schools could be left out. There could be some really good football teams left out and that would be a travesty."

"I am disappointed in the NCAA's decision to issue a waiver, I could not disagree more with the rationale provided," Steinbrecher said. "One of the reasons for the development of the policy covering this matter was to clearly create a selection order to manage just this situation. These selection orders were developed with NCAA staff input and approved unanimously by the NCAA Board of Directors last July. To suggest that that the NCAA staff or task force working on bowl policy did not contemplate such a circumstance, when this same situation occurred last year, is incorrect. The policy is clear and understandable. What is lacking is the willingness to enforce NCAA policy and that is regrettable. All the Mid-American Conference asks is that the rules that have been approved by the member institutions of the NCAA be enforced. That did not occur in this instance."

Heeke is actually the chairman to the NCAA college football issues committee, which used to be used to handle waiver requests.

But after a debacle in which Fiesta Bowl employees were illegally reimbursed for political campaign contributions, the NCAA and its Board of Directors decided to become transparent and take those decisions away from the college football issues committee.

"I think it is important that we state our case and be heard," Heeke added. "I think it is logical due to what was done with the other waiver."